SUPPORT for aspiring choristers to enjoy a potentially “life-changing opportunity” will increase after a £500,000 fundraising drive.
The Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust (WCCT) has announced the Coronation Fund, launched in 2023, has surpassed its target.
Organisers said the achievement was thanks to the generous support of individual supporters and grant-making bodies who helped raise more than £500,000 in just two years.
“It is a remarkable sum to have raised in such a short time, reflecting the deep commitment so many people share for the Trust’s mission: ensuring that no talented child is prevented by financial barriers from becoming a Wells Cathedral chorister,” said Arnold Wills, chair of WCCT.
“The ambition is shared by the Trust’s Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, who urged people to ‘support this very special appeal’.”
Arnold Wills, chair of WCCT, left, with Wells Choristers. Picture: WCCT
The Dean of Wells Cathedral, Toby Wright, was one of the first to congratulate the Trust and said: “It is a great joy that this remarkable target has been so wonderfully surpassed.
“Most importantly, it ensures that many more young people will be enabled to flourish through the unique musical and spiritual life of Wells Cathedral.”
Thanks to the unprecedented success of the Coronation Fund, WCCT can now support a family by covering virtually all the costs of a chorister’s education – from more than 95% right up to 100%.
Wells Choristers are aged between seven and 14, and pupils at Wells Cathedral School, one of four government-supported specialist music schools in the UK.
WCCT was founded in 2003 to provide additional bursaries for gifted children and through the generosity of regular donors it has assisted Wells Cathedral choir to recruit choristers on merit alone.
As a result, children from all backgrounds have been able to enjoy the experiences that come with being part of the community at Wells Cathedral, as well as the opportunities afforded from attending such a prestigious music school.
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However, for many families, the dream is still out of reach, and Mr Wills said this was where the fundraiser was important.
“This is where the Coronation Fund comes in, allowing us to go one step further and support a child whose family requires between 95% and 100% school fees bursary,” he added.
“I am pleased to say that we will be putting the fund into action straightaway.”
Timothy Parsons, director of music at Wells Cathedral, was also delighted by the news.
“It will offer the life-changing opportunity of becoming a Chorister at Wells Cathedral to children who otherwise would not be able to consider it,” he said.
“Congratulations are due to the Trust on raising this enormous sum in just two years, but most especially to the passion and hard work of its chair, Arnold Wills.”
For any child aged six to nine years old interested in discovering more about the life of a chorister, Wells Cathedral is holding a ‘Be a chorister for a day’ event on Saturday, September 20.
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